Associate Professor
- Ph.D., Tsinghua University, 2018
- B.S., Tsinghua University, 2013
- Heat and Mass Transfer
- Water Electrolysis Materials and Devices
- Thermal Conversion and Green Fuel
- Transport Phenomena & Reactor Engineering
- Waste Upcycling
Prof. Weihong Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). He received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Tsinghua University in 2013 and 2018, respectively. Before joining CityUHK, he conducted research at the University of Glasgow and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), where he served as a Research Assistant Professor and Junior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study.
He founded the Multiscale Energy Transport Laboratory (MetLab) in 2022. His research integrates electrochemical and thermochemical conversion with transport phenomena and reactor engineering, focusing on hydrogen production, sustainable fuels and chemicals, and waste-resource upcycling. He has been included in Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists.
His work has been published or accepted for publication in journals including Joule, Science Advances, ACS Catalysis, Cell Reports Physical Science, Advanced Science, and Advanced Functional Materials. His research is supported by the Research Grants Council (RGC), Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), Green Tech Fund (GTF), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). He also participates in renewable-energy research under the third InnoHK research cluster.
- B.S. in Thermal engineering, Tsinghua University (2013)
- Ph.D. in Energy and Power engineering, Tsinghua University (2018)
- Assistant Professor of the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering in CityUHK (2022-2026)
- Research Assistant Professor of the Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in HKUST(2019-2021)
- Research Associate at University of Glasgow in UK (2019)
- Yu, L., et al., Li, W. *, Boundary density unifies catalyst-layer utilization in membrane electrode assemblies, Joule, Accepted (2026).
- Gong, Z., Xu, M., Li, P., Ye, G., Li, W., & Fei, H. (2025). Rapid Reconstruction of Amorphous/Crystalline Heterojunction Boosts Nickel-Catalyzed Urea Electrooxidation. ACS Catalysis, 15(24), 20958-20967.
- Jintao Xu, Ziyang Guo, Xiao Chen, Zejun Luo,* Charles Chunbao Xu, Weihong Li*, Sequential Catalysis Enables Efficient Pyrolysis of Food Waste for Syngas Production" Bioresource Technology, 419, 132042.
- Li Yu, Bin Tian, Wentao Huang, Xiaochun Zhou, Weihong Li, (2024), Advancements in Ordered Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for Water Electrolysis, Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 101595.
- Lin, C., Hur, J., Zhang, M., Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., Huang, Z., ... & Li, W*. (2024). Alleviating Heat Stress and Water Scarcity in Cultivation with Biodegradable Radiative Cooling Mulch. Energy Conversion and Management, 315, 118786.
- Gu, H., Liang, D., Duan, P., Zhou, D., & Li, W*. (2023). Aerothermal characteristics of thin double-wall effusion cooling systems with novel slot holes and cellular architectures for gas turbines. Aerospace Science and Technology, 108441.
- Yu, B., Lu, Z., Wang, B., Wang, X., Lou, J., Yang, L. *, & Li, W*. (2023). A bioinspired programmable Self-Organization approach for designing additively manufactured heat sinks. Energy Conversion and Management, 286, 116996.
- W. Li#, C. Lin#, G Huang, J. Jur, Y. Li, B. Huang*, S. Yao*, 2022, Selective Solar Harvesting Windows for Full-Spectrum Utilization, Advanced Science, 2022, 2201738. Featured in PV Magazine, and DeepTech.
- C.Lin, J. Hur, C. Chao, C. Tso, G. Liu, S. Yao*, W. Li*, B. Huang*, 2022, All-weather thermochromic windows for synchronous solar and thermal radiation regulation, Science Advances, 8 (17), eabn7359. (*Corresponding author). Featured in DeepTech.
- Li, Y., Ma, W., Kwon, Y. S., Li, W., Yao, S., & Huang, B., 2022, Solar Deicing Nanocoatings Adaptive to Overhead Power Lines. Advanced Functional Materials, 2113297.
- W. Li#, C. Lin#, W. Ma, Y. Li, B. Huang*, S. Yao*, 2021, "Transparent Selective Photothermal Coatings for Antifogging Applications," Cell Reports Physical Science, 2(5), 100435.
- W. Ma#, Y. Li#, C. Chao, C. Tso, B. Huang*, W. Li*, S. Yao*, 2021, "Solar-assisted icephobicity down to -60 'C with superhydrophobic selective surfaces," Cell Reports Physical Science, 2(3), p.100384.
- W. Li, G. Yu, Z. Yu, 2020, "Bioinspired heat exchangers based on triply periodic minimal surfaces for supercritical CO2 cycles", Applied Thermal Engineering, 179, 115686.
- Programmable Two-Phase Transport and Interfacial Mechanics in Hierarchical Electrodes for High-Current-Density AEM Water Electrolysis, General Research Fund, Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, 2027 (PI)
- Revolutionizing Alkaline Water Electrolysis with Three-Tier Hierarchical Electrodes for PEM-Competitive Performance Under Fluctuating Renewable Energy Conditions, Innovation and Technology Support Programme, 2026, (PI)
- Development of Large-scale AEM Water Electrolyzer Enabled by Intentional Corrosion-Assisted Synthesis of NiFe Anode Catalyst, Innovation and Technology Support Programme, 2026, (PI)
- Development of Thermoresponsive desiccant-coated Biomimetic Heat Exchangers for Adsorption-based Dehumidification, Innovation and Technology Support Programme, 2024, (PI)
- Developing Low-Cost PEM Electrolysis at Scale by Optimizing Transport Components and Electrode Interfaces, Green Tech Fund, 2024, (PI)
- Cooperation of Thermoresponsive Fast-Kinetic Desiccants and Biomimetic High-Flux Heat Exchangers for Low-Temperature Desiccant Coated Heat Exchanger, Early Career Scheme, Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, 2024 (PI)
- Combating Hong Kong Urban Heat Island via a Biocompatible Self-Adaptive Radiative Cooling Paint, Environment and Conservation Fund, 2023 (PI)
- Smart Radiative Cooling-Heating Switchable Paint to Mitigate-Preserve Urban Heat Island for Climate-Smart City, Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Grant, 2023, (PI)
- Thermofluidic Regulation of Double Wall Cooling Systems via Lattice Structures, Young Scientist Fund of National Nature Science Foundation of China, 2022 (PI)
- Solar Energy Harvesting and Regulating Windows for Energy-Efficient Buildings, General Research Fund, Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, 2022 (PI)
- Solar-harvesting Transparent Smart Window for Building Applications, Environment and Conservation Fund, 2022 (PI)